The more things change in college football, the more things stay the same.
That's certainly true when it comes to how Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman views recruiting in the new NIL era of the sport.
“It all comes down to relationships, that's what matters most — getting this young man and his family to trust you and your football program and coach their son for four years,” Freeman said recently. “Pardon My Take” by Barstool Sports.
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Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman takes the field before the Notre Dame spring game on April 20, 2024 at Notre Dame Stadium. (Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“You can sell them as much as you can on a visit and say you're going to sign them right now, but not many guys are going to do that in that moment. So it's about doubling down on that relationship with that kid and continuing to develop it so that eventually they think, 'Yes, I want to be here.'”
The 38-year-old knows that building relationships with new recruits doesn't end when he puts pen to paper.
“Even after they decide to enroll, you have to keep recruiting because everyone else is still recruiting him. Everyone else is still trying to recruit that kid to them, so you have to keep recruiting and building a relationship with that person until he comes to campus.”
One of the reasons Freeman still believes relationship building is the most important part of recruiting is because his oldest son is currently going through that process.
“I'm actually going through it right now with my oldest son. He's been on a couple of official visits for wrestling and I remember him coming back last night. He came back from a visit last night and he was like, 'Oh, I loved it. It was a great school,' and I was like, 'How was your official visit two weeks ago?'”
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Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Fighting Irish's new football facility before the Notre Dame spring game on April 20, 2024 at Notre Dame Stadium. (Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“He was like, 'Yeah, that was good too,' but at the end of the day, I thought, young people can be persuaded quickly, but are there people who continue to build relationships and pour into you after the visit? And at that moment, I realized it's all about relationships.”
Freeman said his coaching style hasn't changed because of the fear that players will leave the transfer portal with unconditional offers from other schools.
“If you need to be corrected or disciplined, we're going to do that. It's part of trying to get the best out of you. And my hope is that the relationships that we built in recruiting, and the ones that we continue to build here, will help me understand that my coaches care about me and that's why they're paying attention to me. That's why we do it.”
“If you just yell at people, yell at people, don't build relationships with them, don't explain why, they're going to say, 'This guy's crazy. I don't want to play for him. I'm ready to move somewhere else.'
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CBS Sports reporter Jenny Dell looks on as Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman hoists the championship trophy after the 2023 Sun Bowl college football game against the Oregon State Beavers on Dec. 20, 2023 in El Paso, Texas. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
“But if he can continue to give his players his reason for being, build relationships with them, be honest, coach the players hard and coach the guys around him hard, I think the players will really respect that and that's how this program works.”
The Fighting Irish went 10-3 last season, concluding with a 40-8 win over the Oregon State Beavers in the Sun Bowl. Notre Dame made the College Football Playoff twice under former head coach Brian Kelly but has yet to make an appearance under Coach Freeman.
The Fighting Irish begin the season as the seventh-ranked team in the country and will begin their playoff quest on Aug. 31 when they visit Kyle Field to take on the 20th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies.
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